Dubai Electricity and Water has shortlisted developers for the tender for the 100MW second phase of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
The tender is to be awarded to Independent Power Producer (IPP), the qualification process for applicants began in May, with 24 developers shortlisted, out of 49 applicants who qualified from the open request for proposal by the government.
Lots of bids so far have been from international developers. The deadline for bids is 23 October 2014.
The project began in October 2013, with the first 13MW phase of the solar park already commissioned and inaugurated by the Sheikh.
The 13MW already completed is connected to the DEWA grid, which covers all of the emirate.
The solar park is one of the biggest renewable-energy projects in the region at a cost of AED12 billion (US$3.2 billion), and is planned to total 1GW in capacity, upon completion which is scheduled for 2017
The solar park is part of the city’s Supreme Council of Energy’s ‘Integrated Energy Strategy 2030’. The strategy is to diversify Dubai’s energy mix by 2030 to 71% natural gas, 12% nuclear, 12% ‘clean coal’, and 5% from renewable energy sources, primarily solar.
The solar park development is also part of the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s sustainable development initiative, which is to support a green economy in the UAE.
The tender process opened in April for the 100MW solar request.
A number of nations in the Middle East have published ambitious solar energy targets. There have been a number of project announcements in Jordan, the UAE and Morocco with expectations that Saudi Arabia will launch a 1GW tender before the end of the year.
